


Uther’s Bane

by AeonTheDimensionalGirl



Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [10]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur Knows About Morgana's Magic (Merlin), Attempted Murder, Canon Era, Deviates From Canon, Episode: s03e10 Queen of Hearts, Established Relationship, Evil Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Good Morgana (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Morgana Knows about Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Uther Pendragon Dies (Merlin), Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26918353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeonTheDimensionalGirl/pseuds/AeonTheDimensionalGirl
Summary: After discovering that his son and his manservant have secretly become lovers, Uther seeks to get rid of the boy- and in the process plants the seed to his own destruction.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: I’ve Got You (You’re Safe Now) [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1939345
Comments: 43
Kudos: 901





	Uther’s Bane

**Author's Note:**

> **PROMPT No 10. THEY LOOK SO PRETTY WHEN THEY BLEED**  
>  **Blood Loss** | Internal Bleeding | **Trail of Blood**

Uther could not believe what his eyes were seeing.

Arthur, recumbent on a blanket and surrounded by pillows and a feast worthy for a lady of the court, and lying next to him, cuddled in a very intimate position was-

His manservant.

The King could not hear what was being talked about, but he didn’t have to guess. The smitten looks and laughs of delight Arthur and his servant were giving each other was enough confirmation, and even if it wasn’t, his son then leaned in to capture the boy’s lips on a kiss.

Uther eyes narrowed.

He should have known.

Arthur dragging his manservant everywhere he went, insisting on going a quest to save his easily replaceable life, refusing to fire him even at the most incompetent moment or talk back-

This explained everything!

And not only that, Arthur’s rebellious behavior had conveniently started when the boy came to Camelot years ago and Uther had foolishly placed him as his manservant. Defying his every word in council meetings, wishing to reduce the people’s taxes, talking back in sorcerer trials, wishing to make commoners Knights-

_It all started with Merlin._

If he wanted Arthur back onto his control… the boy would have to disappear.

With a quiet snarl, the King retreated back toward the citadel, making plans.

* * *

Arthur knew something was wrong the moment Merlin tensed in his arms and broke the kiss with a panic.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Arthur asked, frowning as he watched his lover look nervously over the thick bushes.

“I-” Merlin bit his lip, looking unsure, “I could have sworn I heard a snarl”

“Perhaps an animal” the blond tried to reassure as he smirked, “You know you attract them to ridiculous amounts”

Merlin turned to lightly glare at him.

“You _know_ that Plato and I only begun playing chess because Morgana and I made a bet” he chided, “And he cheated anyway”

Arthur snorted.

“Leave it to you to name a bear Plato and insist he cheated”

“Oh hush, you love it when I do that, you prat” Merlin laughed before frowning again, “You really think it was only an animal?”

“ _Cariad_ , we’re in the middle of the forest” Arthur pointed out. The warlock, however still looked nervous.

The Crown Prince let out a small sigh; he knew Merlin had been anxious about their date and a possible discovery, and honestly, Arthur too.

“Hey” he called softly, cupping his lover’s cheek to make look at him, “You know that I’ll never let anything bad happen to you, right?”

Merlin gave him a little smile, eyes full of trust and love.

“I know”

* * *

Uther has never been so thankful to haven’t thrown away the enchanted pen Balinor had gifted Ygraine for their wedding. It was perfect to write things the King didn’t want to write by his own hand-

And most importantly, forge someone else’s handwriting.

_‘Meet me in the abandoned clearing behind the royal garden at midnight’_

_-A_

He’d waited patiently for Arthur and his secret lover to arrive from the ‘hunting trip’ to order his son to attend training and sending the boy on a wild goose chase around the castle to keep them away from each other way into the night in order to plant the forged note in Merlin’s bed; and he’d nearly been caught by Gaius, but at the end Uther successfully managed to trick his old friend that he’d be merely been looking for the boy so he could be handled a tonic for the back pain.

And so, having done so, Uther continued on with his day as normal, dinned alone (lately Morgana and Arthur both kept rejecting dinning with him), sent his own manservant away (but not before idly asking who had attended his son for dinner, and his servant responded with a dried “George”, which in the turn made the King glad that his plan has way onto it’s to success) and, armed with his favorite dagger, snuck into the hidden clearing behind the gardens.

The place was abandoned because it used to be his dear Ygraine’s little reading haven. When she was alive, she would come there to simply be alone with her thoughts and sometimes plant flowers. While she was pregnant with Arthur, she would also spend the time by telling their unborn son stories about warrior kings and sorcerers.

When she died, Uther prohibited anyone from entering it, but he knows Arthur found it when little. The Prince had sneaked into it and treated the place like a secret garden and eventually got lost in the maze of abandoned bushes, forcing the Knights and his nanny to look for him.

And knowing how clearly sentimental his son was of his mother’s memory, Uther was sure Merlin too knew of the place.

He hides between the overgrown bushes, and waits.

And then, illuminated by the moonlight, a figure in a wine purple cloak came into the secret garden, lowering the hood to reveal Merlin.

Uther had to grit his teeth when he noticed that the servant’s cape must have been a gift from Arthur, because there was no way the boy could have afforded the rich dark fabric. He _knew_ Gaius’s apprentice sent half of his earned wages to his mother back in Essetir.

“Arthur?” Merlin called softly as he looked around the abandoned maze for his lover, “Are you here?”

Silently, Uther approached him from behind, brandishing the dagger.

It would only take one swift movement to the throat and the boy would be gone-

And at the last, worst possible moment, the servant turned around, and he only managed to get out a gasp of horror before the King had buried the knife onto his shoulder.

“Y-your ma-majesty?” Merlin cried, terrified as Uther snarled and pushed to blade further until the tip caught bone while grabbing the boy’s forearm to keep him in place.

“I will not have my son fucking a bastard like you” he hissed, taking in delight how the servant’s eyes widened further in fear as he realized he King knew about their affair, “And I will certainly not have him falling in love with _you_!”

And he took out the dagger, ready plunge in the killing blow, when Merlin’s panicked and tear filled eyes glowed gold and the King found himself pushed backwards towards the rose bushes.

Uther gasped.

A sorcerer!

The boy was a sorcerer!

He’d hired a sorcerer to be Arthur’s-!

Uther felt himself be filled with rage at the realization.

He must have put his son under a spell then!

Snarling and grunting with effort, Uther found that the boy was missing-

But there was an abandoned cloak caught in the tall bushes.

Well then, Uther thought as a slow predatory smile formed on his face, it’s been a while since he’s gone hunting…

* * *

Arthur was abruptly woken up when the doors to his bedchambers opened with a loud and deafening bang.

“ARTHUR!” Morgana’s panicked voice echoed around the chamber as the Crown Prince hastily got up from bed, “ARTHUR WAKE UP THIS INSTANT-!”

“Morgana!” he called while running to meet his panicked sister, grasping her by the shoulders and trying not to be consumed by the sudden wave of dread in his stomach, “What-?”

“It’s Merlin!” she cried out, eyes wide with fear, “Uther-”

The blond felt his stomach drop-

“-Uther knows about your love for him- he’s tricked- he’s going to kill him tonight!” she revealed between gasps, burring her fingernails unto his shoulders, “Arthur- he- in the vision-” she heaved, “Merlin- he defends himself with magic as- as he lays mortally wounded”

Arthur fought the shock that wanted take hold of him as he felt like he’s been dozed with a bucket of freezing cold water.

_Oh gods-_

“Where” he asked harshly, “WHERE MORGANA?!” he doesn’t mean to shake her, but the undermining fear in his chest has made him erratic.

“Your mother’s garden” she answers in a grim voice.

The Crown Prince wastes no time.

Followed by his sister, he flees towards the royal gardens, praying that he’s not too late.

* * *

“Come out, come out wherever you are, sorcerer” Uther says under his breath as he walks through the thick bushes in search for his prey under the dark of the night, “I will make it quick”

He hears a rustle to his right and blindly slashes his dagger, but only caught leaves and flowers from the ivy grown in the walls.

Growling, Uther stalks onwards the where he last heard the sound, trying to find the filthy traitor that seduced his son-

When he sees it.

Blood, fresh blood, smeared onto the ivy covered walls, trailing onto the direction over to the entrance of the clearing.

Smiling, Uther breaks into a run, following the trail of blood his prey has oh so graciously left behind for him to find.

He finds the sorcerer just as he is weakly running towards the stone corridor and leaning against the wall, the faint torchlight making his falling blood gleam-

Uther laughs under his breath before chasing after him, grabbing the bastard from behind by pulling at his hair.

The boy cries out in a combination of shock and pain as Uther throws him to the ground.

“P-Please-” the sorcerer sobs decrepitly as the King begins to drag him back towards the garden. He’ll be damned if the white stone is dirtied further by the blood of the disgusting pest and the last thing Uther needs is a Knight and/or a guard walking in-

“NO”

Uther is tackled from behind.

* * *

The first thing that Arthur and Morgana see when they get to the end of the stone corridor is the blood droplets.

The second thing they see is Uther dragging a sobbing and heavily bleeding Merlin back onto the darkness of the gardens.

“NO” the half siblings scream in unison as they break into a run.

Morgana tackles Uther.

Arthur prevents Merlin’s head from slamming onto the ground.

“Arthur?” his lover croaks in a frail voice as the Crown Prince gathers him into his arms, trying his best not to panic at the blood-drenched cream sleep tunic and the pool of blood that that’s forming under him.

“I’m here” Arthur whispered, blinking back the stinging in his eyes as he began to apply pressure to Merlin’s shoulder and doing his very best to ignore the cry of pain that he emitted, “I’m here _cariad_ \- you- you’re going to be alright- everything will be alright-”

It’s Uther’s (because there is no way Arthur is calling him ‘father’ after this- not after harming the love of his life) cry of dumb-folded “Morgana-?” that momentarily distracts the Prince from spiraling into a breakdown-

And feels his heart stop.

Morgana, panting and dress stained with dirt, stands in front of the King, hand extended towards him while the other clutches her cheek in discomfort.

Numbly, Arthur realizes that his sister tackled Uther with magic and body, and he in turn struck her aside before becoming aware of _how_ he dropped Merlin.

“You have magic?” Uther whispered with growing horror.

The ward stands her ground, titling her chin up.

“Yes”

The King then focuses his attention on the two lovers, paling as he locks eyes with a furious Prince and sees him hold the mortally wounded warlock in his arms.

“And- Arthur-” he stammers, face now becoming an interesting shade of purple, “You’ve known- you’ve been consorting- fucking- with- with- I have been so sure that magic has been eradicated from my kingdom- why- how-?”

Merlin withered in Arthur’s hold, and the Crown Prince watched with slight awe how his lover- his beautiful, brave lover- turned to look at his attacker with a fierce stare.

“B-Because you’re a fool, Uther Pendragon” Merlin whispered between heavy pants of pain, “A-All this time, there has been magic at the heart of C-Camelot-”

“And because I love my sister and Merlin more than I hate magic” Arthur coolly added, “And I’ve come to realize that you’re just a sad and pathetic man who couldn’t accept his wife’s death and move on”

And Arthur would know it, having hear it from the spirit of his mother himself thanks to a magical horn Morgana had found.

For a moment, there was silence-

“Well then” Uther whispered with a maniac glint in his dark eyes, “I WILL HAVE TO EXECUTE ALL OF YOU”

And he sprinted towards the Crown Prince, raising his dagger to strike down his son and his lover, and Arthur closed his eyes and pulled Merlin more onto himself, ready to die-

“NO-!” Morgana yelled raising her hand and her eyes glowed a dark yellow-

And Uther simply stopped, his eyes opened wide in newly discovered panic before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and dropped onto the ground.

Not moving.

Morgana’s hitched breath was enough confirmation to what just happened.

Arthur would have cared that his father was dead, that he was the King now, if it weren’t for the fact that Merlin sagged on his hold.

“Merlin?”

No response.

And Arthur realized with horror that his lover’s breaths were too slowed down.

“No. NO!” he screamed, cupping Merlin deathly pale cheek as his eyes began to burn and tears fell down his face, “MERLIN! MERLIN! WAKE UP!”

Morgana must have shaken herself out of her own shock, for she ran towards her brother and quickly kneeled next to Merlin’s side, hand hovering over the shoulder wound.

“’Gana” Arthur cried, uncaring for the begging in his voice, “’Gana, please- please tell me you can-”

His sister looked at him with grim determination.

“Morgause has trained me to be a High Priestess of the Old Religion” she whispered as her eyes began to glow again, “And do you know what spell I’ve recently learned thanks to her and Merlin?”

She raised her other hand towards the fallen body of their father.

“A life for a life” Morgana declared before chanting a fast-tracking incantation and slamming down of her hands onto Merlin’s mortal wound.

Arthur watched in awe as his lover shone the same shade of starlight gold his eyes did when he performed magic-

And Merlin gasped a deep breath.

“’Rt’ur? ‘Gana?” he murmured in a faint voice as his azure eyes opened, “Wha-?”

“Shh” Arthur soothed, hand still pressed on the now barely bleeding shoulder as he embraced the warlock and kisses his forehead, “It’s over- it’s over Merlin- you’re safe now”

The blond continues murmuring assurances in the raven’s ear, caressing his hair and face in reassurance that Merlin was still with him, while Morgana rubbed her brother’s back in comfort.

“Uther’s dead, isn’t he” Merlin guessed in a small voice. He hadn’t even bothered to look over where his attacker had stood.

“He is” Morgana confirmed.

“Are you both alright?” Merlin asked.

The siblings looked at each other.

“We will be” Morgana said before Arthur pulled her into the hug between himself and Merlin.

“You’re safe” the new King heard himself repeat in a weak voice before kissing his lover, who shyly returned it.

Come dawn, the body of Uther Pendragon will be found in the royal gardens.

Come the light, the Court Physician will declare the King to have suffered a heart attack.

Come the morn, Gaius will be attending his injured nephew, who was mysteriously attacked by an unknown assailant and found in the nick of time by his young master.

Come the sun, Arthur Pendragon will be declared King of Camelot.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Cariad_ = Welsh for 'Love'
> 
> I gotta admit, there's something cathartic about killing Uther and having Morgana be the one to do it.


End file.
